Steven Smith Teamaker

asSAMica!
Whew! I brewed this a little strong this morning, & it is AsSAM!
Bold, Malty, Wine like, & a little on the astringent edge today, WoWza!
Still very drinkable, it is, & it will liven me up for the gig I’m playing today from noon – 4.

This was my first cup of the morning, so satisfyingly sweet, malty, & bold.

Two of my tea orders arrived! Yeah!
This is the first tea I’ve ever had from Steven Smith Teamaker.
When I was in 6th grade I had a crush on a boy named Steven Smith, LOL.
Anyway, this tea is VERY assam! Malty, caramely, fruity in a bright wine like way, & there is an undertone of allspice here too.
It also resteeps very well!

backlogging

Another thanks goes out to Sandy Stith for this (I’ll be thanking her in many posts!)

First off, I’d like to say that I LOVE the individually wrapped sachets. Perfect for a busy day- just toss it in your bag and go! :)

The aroma when I opened the little wrapper was very strongly citrusy, but that aroma mellowed out once the tea had steeped. Still quite fragrant though. I tasted more than just bergamot… maybe some orange in there? I added a little bit of orange infused sugar to accentuate the citrusy qualities and it was definitely not a mistake to do so! MMM! Overall a pleasing Earl Grey

I’m going to have to order some of this specifically for those days when we’re out and about!

Another sample from Anne from LiberTeas (still working my way through this box).

I’ll start off by saying that I chose this tea because I needed something to really get me motivated to get my cleaning for the day done. I’m on vacation from work and wanted to really enjoy the rest of the week in a nice clean apartment. The only problem – I woke up this morning feeling extremely lazy…so I brewed up a nice hot cup of this black tea for a little inspiration as I sat lazily watching TV.

That’s where things get kind of crazy. I ended up spilling the entire fresh cup all over the coffee table. After hastily throwing everything on the floor to avoid the tea flood that was coming its way and wiping up most of the liquid, I looked down into my now empty mug of inspiration. Boo. Good thing I saved the leaves…I’ll just resteep it. Put some hot water in my mug, dropped the tea ball in, grabbed more rags and some cleaner and started cleaning the rest of the mess up. After getting the table wiped down and everything back in its place, I noticed some of the tea had spilt on the carpet so I got my carpet cleaner and started cleaning that up too.

Ah…nice clean coffee table. Okay. Now I’m cleaning and the coffee table looks so good…better just continue on so into the dining room I went. After cleaning up in there I was really going so I decided to continue onto kitchen.

There it was. My second steeping cup of tea…with the teaball still in it. Yup. Definitely oversteeped this one.

So long story short, I ruined both cups of tea and didn’t even get to enjoy any of it. Not even a good sip. BUT – I did however get all of my cleaning done for the day which was exactly what I was hoping from the tea this morning. So in a way I guess this tea did do exactly what I was hoping for. I just wish I’d have been able to enjoy a little of it.

Time to dump the leaves and try again….wish me luck! (I’ll have to reserve my rating until I actually taste it)

We had some errands to run today before I had a chance to brew some tea and enjoy it, so we stopped at Brewed Awakenings to pick up some tea. I figured I was to be choosing from a selection of Tazo or Stash teas which are generally this area’s choices for bagged tea (since both companies are based in Portland) but was thrilled to find that they carry teas from Steven Smith! Now, if only they’d start carrying loose leaf tea I’d be one happy tea drinker. (although, it might be a good thing that they DON’T carry loose leaf because I could see it as a problem where I want to go there all the time. As it is, it’s nice to know where to go when I NEED tea but can’t go home for some)

This is really good. So good that I will have to get some the next time I’m at the Smith Teamaker shop in Portland, or if I end up resorting to placing an order. Delicious and rich. I like this one a lot.

I did notice though that tea tastes WEIRD when steeped and cupped in a paper cup. I can taste the paper. It’s not an overwhelming flavor, but it is bothersome enough that I may have to find myself a good “to go” cup to have in the car for times when I need tea.

Since this was a bagged tea and it was steeped and served in a paper cup, I am going to reserve a rating for it until I’m able to have it prepared properly.

Tail ends of samples tend to be a little lopsided…lots of dust and whatever the “small” ingredient is; not as much of the big, good lumpy things that tend to give a blend its flavor. Definitely the case here; whole and new, it’s a nice, slightly fruity herbal, but this last cup tasted more like dandelions and that’s about it.

Oh, well.

Chamomile generally tastes like … well, chamomile. It takes over whatever blend it’s in. In this case, it steps aside a bit for the other ingredients. I haven’t tasted enough teas with linden and hyssop to recognize the flavors well, but I am getting a nice almost citrusy taste with each swallow. Really, really nice.

I finished this off just two days ago. I wanted to bring the empty box home, to use for other teabags or some such, but wasn’t able to fit it into my luggage and was forced to chuck it. I’ll probably buy more tea from Smith anyways, so chances are I will collect more of the boxes.

Just as delicious as always. I’ll miss the cracked-wheat essence. I’m home now, though, and able to access my full tea cupboard. I nearly hugged it.

The trip was fine. I got to the airport very early (long story), and my luggage was over-weight, so I had to choose what bag would be bumped in the event that the plane was too heavy. My rocks were in one bag, my tea and books in the other. It was a difficult decision, but luckily nothing was bumped, so I haven’t suffered.

I have a ten-page report to write that’s due this week. I’ve procrastinated the hell out of it, and I’m very bad for doing so.

Accidentally let this sit for six minutes. But it’s forgiving, although a little sharp. This tea really defines “malty”; I think of cracked wheat bread when I drink it.

Brewed, this smells strongly of Assam. The taste is incredibly flavourful—Assam on the first note, strong but not sharp, followed by a definite Keemun taste. I’m not immediately getting any Ceylon, but it might just be the Ceylon that’s tying the two together and toning down the Assam. Background-player.

It’s cooling now, and I think I’m getting a bit of the Ceylon.

I’d also like to point out that mine (and all, I assume) came with a card inside the box that reads: “For best results, serve others first.” Sadly, I had no one to share with, otherwise I would have.

The first notes that hits me are chamomile and linden. I think the rooibos has dulled down the overall flavor just a bit. This tisane isn’t very exciting to me, as it has a very monotone character, but it might make a good sleepy-time tea.

I’ll try steeping it for longer and see if that brings out any of the other, more interesting, components (like lemon myrtle, hyssop, cyani and rose petals).

Lord Bergamot is exactly what you’d think in the bag–it’s all about the bergamot, baby. There’s barely any underlying tea smell, for all the cool-toned flowery-citrusy-ness blanketing everything. Luckily, once steeped, the Assam knows what it’s doing and takes a firm hand with its floral companion: “Calm the hell down, Sparky.”

As a result, you think you’re safe from a botanical invasion until you take that first sip. Bergamot goes, “Hey, didja miss me? Huh? Didja?” and by now, once your drink has cooled to bearabili-tea, there’s no room to reply, “No.” (That is, of course, unless you love bergamot. Earl Grey fana-tea-cs, with this tea you may well die happy. It makes for a brilliant cup of serious getting down to business that will take you through deadlines and exams with fortitude to spare.)… Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/16/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-1/

With a name like Kandy, you’d think that the blend would have nothing to it but overwhelming saccharini-tea. Yet as we’ve seen with other teas in this collection, names can be misleading. A Ceylon by any other name would indeed smell as sweet. We have to keep in mind that the natural sweetness of an un-doctored black tea is it’s own brand of confection. If you’ve got the palate of a compulsive sugar-adder, then Kandy’s inner complexity might go over your head. The nice thing about it is the statement it makes when steeped; a distinct fruity aroma that doesn’t hide away in the auburn liquor.

Some really nice orchard notes come out on first sip: roasted apples and lush plums ready to burst off the tree. There’s the South Asian muscatel hovering about the edge of your tongue as well. Kandy rests on your shoulders as a robe of the most valuable, richly-made silk–but of a simple hue… Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/16/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-1/

Masala Chai hits you with gingery, ginger, ginger from the get-go. (It’s like all the ginger that was missing from Chai Diaries found its way in here. No complaints!) The dry bag has no hint of anything but the arid, zingy spices–you’d be surprised that there’s any black tea at all. Yet in the cup, all of that melts away, as the ginger is overtaken by clove and cinnamon, with peppercorn bouncing in the background. That ingredient is an unusual one for chai, adding just the barest touch of savory to an otherwise notoriously sweet tea. Mad points for originali-tea.

Once you start sipping, the immediate question is, “Where the hell did all the ginger go?”… Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/16/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-1/

Right out of the bag, that Darjeeling beckons with kohl-lidded eyes. There’s enough smoke to offset the sultry aroma with a hint of danger: “Come hither–if you dare.” But once steeped, this rounds out into golden smoothness, the kind of salt-copper scent you’d associate more with a Fujian or a Yunnan. This is definitely a Darjeeling with at-tea-tude.

The sip-’sperience is a letdown. When will we ever learn that dry leaves can tell many many lies? Bungalow leads you into the darkened bedroom and then expects you to play Solitaire for the rest of the night… Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/16/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-1/

Brahmin‘s dry leaves start off with a definite maltyness, as promised in the description on the packet. It’s very Keemun-y, with that fireside feel you get from East Asian blacks. The scent hovers on the edge of smoke, but shies away at the last moment, safe under the protection of its Ceylon’s wine notes. In the cup, the Keemun continues to be at the forefront of the aroma, refusing to be ignored. You’d think that the Assam would take the stage in this blend, given its decidedly South Asian name, but our Chinese black is having none of that.

However, when you start sipping, it becomes clear why the Assam is so self-Ass-ured… Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/16/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-1/

Goodness, but it’s been a very busy week.
In the last week I have-
1. Gone to the hospital because of severe and unexpected neck pain (I’m fine!)
2. Worked a full week
3. Done the last full weekend of the play I am in
4. Started two new knitting projects
5. Caught the office cold. Ow. My throat.

So I’ve been drinking tea non-stop, and this has been fully sipped down.
I’m sure I’ll bring it back, when the chance presents itself. I think of it more as a spring and summer tea, and I am ready for the winter flavors.
So, sipdown!

My favorite chamomile blend, with its delicate flavors, and goodly warmth.
A sipdown, for now, anyway.

This was my evening cup last night, as I worked on cleaning the living room and organizing the books. I am nowhere near done organizing the books. Books are on every possible surface. I need more shelves!
A rainy evening, but I suddenly felt for this, which always reminds me of spring. Not in a fake, Easter-basket kind of way, but in the true feeling of that new warmth and softness that comes in that season.
Its probably my favorite chamomile tea, and I did drift off fairly easily last night. I didn’t manage to stay drifted off, mostly due to a few text messages at 3 in the morning (ugh), but hey. Not the teas fault!

This is a backlog from last night. My favorite chamomile and myself had a date!
I’ve been nursing a headache for a few days, which I suspect is my sinuses. It has not rained around here in ages, and theres all sorts of gunk in the air, which is no fun whatsoever. Bleh.
So I thought this might be nice, as I worked on the scarf I’m knitting (only my second knitting project. I’d say its going well so far, though I do need to learn how to keep my edges tighter.), and I was right. Its all very nice, and the warmth made me feel better.
I’ve gotta drink more evening tea. Why did I stop? (Oh right, summer. 100 degree days. You don’t even want to look at a heat source from there.)

Ahh. I don’t know why I’ve let this one languish undrunk on my shelf for so long. Its a lovely chamomile, probably my favorite chamomile I’ve tried.
So, to sooth the throat, I’ve brewed up a cup of this.
It goes down so smoothly, and has a faint aftertaste of honey, so its good stuff.